Tom Cruise reached a speed of 181 miles per hour when he tested a Red Bull race car.

The motoring fanatic - who starred in 1990 stock car racing film 'Days of Thunder' - impressed former Formula 1 (F1) driver David Coulthard with his skills behind the wheel when took control of the 850-horsepower vehicle on a 2.5km race track in Rosamond, southern California.

Tom completed 24 laps during the seven-hour high octane session - his first in an F1 car - and his top speed was just four miles per hour short of David's best on the same day.

David said: "Tom's the real deal. He thoroughly impressed me. I was surprised that he picked it up so quickly and is such an accomplished driver.

"His recall was incredible considering how complicated driving an F1 car is. He's a guy who really pushes the envelope in real life.

"This day was not green screened!"

Tom is also a keen motorbike rider and has done his own bike stunts in several of his movies including the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise and 'Knight and Day', in which he starred with Cameron Diaz.

When he isn't pulling off bike stunts, Tom is also a big fan of cruising on his motorcycles, particularly on the coastal roads of Northern California.

Tom - who is married to actress Katie Holmes - said: "I love cruising the Pacific Coast Highway. Up north, as you're driving up to Montecito - that's the great drive. I like the wonderful off-camber turns. You take it about two, three in the morning. I like the empty road at night, the nice sweeping turns. It can be challenging as well as fun."